A.S.C.E. and like railroad bed rails are secured, conventionally, upon track beds by means of wooden ties, held to the rails by means of spikes driven through plates, into the wooden ties which are essentially ballasted. More recently, steel gauged rods have been developed for use with single shoulder and double shoulder tie plates. For example, gauge rods of Midwest Corporation have been designed for installation at weak points in track, sharp curves, switches and places of poor ballast, open pits, etc. The effect thereof is to prevent the spreading of rails, eliminate re-spiking of track and also to prevent undesireable tilting of rails. Nonetheless, such combinations, which include metal ties and anchors, some secured on rods and others upon corrugated ties, comprise very little support under each rail and in electric haulage, bonds are also required with such combinations. In the present invention, little or no ballast is required and on curves a thicker support channel can be used to elevate the steel ties for joint crossbonds by welding the base of the rail to the channel; moreover steel tie construction switches, in accordance with the invention, may be prefabricated and transferred to a site of use.
The general effect in utility of the present invention resides in a reduction of the number of ties which must be required over a given length of railroad track, the strength of the track is increased inasmuch as the ties, per se do not rot, nor is there a requirement upon holding power of any spikes. The diameter of the rod can vary with strength requirements. A one inch rod provides approximately 75,000 pounds of track spreading resistance. In addition, excessive ballast is not needed to support a given rail on the tie, even though the only support may be immediately beneath the rail. Moreover, in conventional electric haulage, copper bonds are required to be welded at each track joint and cross copper bonds must be installed at frequent intervals between parallel rails. In the prior art, since bonds must be maintained in electric haulage they require continuous maintenance.
Accordingly, the present invention not only has the advantage of precluding the necessity for copper bonds in electric haulage, but a minimum of ballast needs application under a channel to support a given rail. As a consequence, approximately five or more inches of additional overhead mine clearance is available, as over the conventional wood tie constructions. Track installation time and expense is optimized hereby; the reinforcement of all track installations and especially areas of track near turn-out switches is effectively accomplished. Steel tie clips on both sides of a rail joint herein tend to reinforce the joint, by transferring the load to the solid rail opposite the joint.
The relevant prior art comprises Midwest Corporation/Midwest Steel gauge rods, rail anchors and tie plates. In addition, steel plank Trigon Ties have been known to include a form of corrugated steel tie to which may be secured tabs for engagement with the base of the railroad track. Such steel ties are lacking in direct support being available for the rail passing over the tie, per se. Whereas there are many other steel tie designs and manufacturers, such steel ties also tend to bend when "hump" exists between the rails and, when the bend occurs, the gauge is reduced, substantially. A minimum of material can be picked away to eliminate hump or the fulcrum effect by means of adapting the proposed invention.
In certain instances, conventional and special joint bars having common centerline bolt holes with a Crane Rail may be used in conjunction with the invention without modification thereto. The joint bars of Midwest Corporation are but one example, said joint bars engaging the rail beneath its head and base of a given rail on its top, without overlapping the transverse base extensions of the rail.
At present, it is proposed to include a redesigned splice bar to permit the tie clamping lug to be installed. Also, a special lug or clip may be installed and used to clamp the existing angle bars. This lug would be basically "higher" and the threaded portion of rod is accordingly increased.
To minimize wrecks occuring on curves, the up grade rail is 1 elevated, thus creating a "banked" curve. To obtain a uniform elevation, ballast must be increased under each tie and tamped to the exact level. This is expensive and time consuming and requires skilled "trackmen".
On the proposed tie, the channel height may be increased on the "up" grade side to give the exact elevation desired around the entire curve. This is a calculation determined by the radius of the curve, no skill required. Once this height is calculated, the configuration of the channel 130 may be varied to fit the need. The greater the height, the volume of ballast needed is increased. The larger volume channel may be desired on outside track. With respect to the variation in channel height on each side of the track, it is a feature of this invention to effect a "blocking" under and within the respective channels by means of wooden blocks, appropriately grooved for the rod, the block having excess height relative to the interior elevation of the channel to raise it and the track accordingly. See FIG. 4.
Railroad track being normally supported on wood ties, the track gauge is maintained by spikes driven into the wood tie on both sides of the rail. The ties are normally supported on limestone ballast to the depth of the wood tie and under its entire length. On curves the upper rail is normally elevated by adding additional ballast to provide a banked curve. The spikes only provide minimal strength to prevent the rails from spreading, as the wood tie decays the holding power decreases still further.
Track elevation for curves herein is effected by "blocking" as above-defined.
Only the ballast under the wood tie immediately below the rail supports the rail, therefore most of the ballast is wasted. If the ballast is tamped in the center of the tie it creates a fulcrum and causes the tie to break as the load passes over. On most steel ties the lugs are riveted to the base and are of questionable strength since they fail frequently.
Railroad wrecks occur because of:
(A) Track spreading due to the low holding effect of spikes driven into wood that eventually decays. When the track ballast is not maintained and/or poor drainage of the track exists, the load passing over this area creates up and down movement that pulls or loosens spikes and allows the track to spread. Steel tie rivets are of insufficient strength, and frequently fail and result in wide guage.
(B) A lip joint of loose track joints result when a joint moves because of inadequate ballast under ties or track bolts are not terminated properly or when bolts stretch.
(C) Low track joints normally result because inadequate or failure to maintain proper ballast under the ties.
(D) Wood ties decaying that result in poor support and failure of the holding power of the spikes.
(E) Improper elevation of the up grade side rail on turns.
(F) Excessive speed at switches and/or curves. Also on poorly maintained track.
(G) Haulage equipment failure or improper maintenance.
The proposed steel tie herein may be used to reinforce track in all vulnerable areas such as at joints, on curves, at track turnouts, etc. Track spreading can virtually be eliminated by utilizing the proper diameter rod for a given track system Curves can be elevated to exact height by utilizing elevated channel or installing "blocking" under the channel on the up grade side of a curve. See "blocking" aforesaid. Joints can be reinforced by the cross rod being secured to the solid rail, opposite the joint. A special system can be used to reinforce the joint if required. A channel longer than the angle bars can be used to secure two cross rods at each joint which is attached to the opposite solid rail with standard supports. A modified clip that secures to the angle bar herein can be used at track joints, this special joint bar permits the use of a standard clip opposite the joint.